Fabrication and properties of diatomite ceramics with hierarchical pores based on direct stereolithography

Porous diatomite ceramics with hierarchical pores and high apparent porosity (50.29–56%) were successfully fabricated via direct stereolithography. The pre-ball-milling time, dispersant type and dispersant concentration were systematically investigated to prepare diatomite pastes with high solid loading, low viscosity and a self-supporting effect. The results showed that a pre-ball-milling time of 24 h was more suitable to prepare diatomite pastes with high solid loading, and Span80 at 2 wt% was the optimal dispersant to obtain 40 vol% diatomite paste with a low viscosity and a self-supporting effect. To restrain the formation of defects, a heating rate as low as 0.2 °C/min was allowed to control the pyrolysis rate in the multistage debinding process. At sintering temperatures ranging from 900 °C to 1000 °C, porous diatomite ceramics exhibited a typical bimodal porosity, high apparent porosity and great flexural strength.     

Evaluation of a sulfidogenic system fed with microalgal biomass of Chlorella pyrenoidosa as an electron donor: Sulfate reduction kinetics

In this study, a sulfidogenic reactor fed with microalgal biomass of Chlorella pyrenoidosa as an electron donor was operated in a continuous mode. This study evaluated the influence of various initial sulfate concentration from 1.0 to 2.5 g/L on anaerobic sulfate reduction kinetics by a sulfidogenic enrichment culture predominantly Desulfovibrio sp. VSV2. It was observed that volumetric sulfate reduction rate (VSRR) was consistently increasing with an increase in volumetric sulfate loading rate (VSLR) across the retention time of 7–10 days. For a retention time of 7 days, the maximum VSRR was noted as 0.0050 g/(L.h) with a corresponding VSLR of 0.0089 g/(L.h). When retention time was maintained for 10 days, a maximum sulfate reduction of 65% and a maximum bacterial concentration of 1.632 g/L were achieved for an initial sulfate concentration of 1.5 g/L. It was concluded that VSLR facilitated through both dilution rate and initial sulfate concentration had a significant influence over sulfate reduction kinetics. The results of the study suggested that the microalgal-fed sulfidogenic system could be effectively employed for reduction of sulfate from sulfate-rich wastewater.     

Ferulic acid and EGCG alter the structural characteristics of ovalbumin and its application in mineral loading

This study aims to fabricate mineral-loading nanocarriers using natural materials. The interaction patterns between ovalbumin (OVA) and four water-soluble polyphenols, namely ferulic acid (FA), (-)-Epigallo-catechin 3-gallate (EGCG), gallic acid (GA) and epicatechin (EC), were investigated. Results showed that the optimised conditions for preparing stable OVA–polyphenol complexes are at the OVA–polyphenol ratio of 4:1 at pH 6, under which OVA–FA and OVA–EGCG showed the highest stability and mineral-loading capacity among four OVA–polyphenol complexes. The fluorescence results indicated that the addition of EGCG and FA induced a significant fluorescence quenching to OVA. The interaction between OVA and polyphenols involved hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interaction and electrostatic interaction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis suggested that both FA and EGCG enhanced the stability and orderliness of the structure of OVA. The transmission electron microscopy images also exhibited the spherical structure of OVA after the addition of FA and EGCG. Furthermore, scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive X-ray spectrum results suggested that OVA–FA and OVA–EGCG complexes were better mineral carriers than OVA–GA and OVA–EC. This study may serve as the theoretical support for the promising application of OVA in the fabrication of mineral-loading nanocarriers in functional food and pharmaceutic.     

Influence of density on the post-suffusion behavior of gap-graded sand with fines

Suffusion erosion, characterized as the selective detachment and transportation of finer particles by seepage flow, is hazardous to the stability and serviceability of geotechnical structures. The removal of finer particles deteriorates the structure and fabric of the soil, leading to the degradation of its mechanical properties. Studies into the effects of suffusion on mechanical behavior have so far produced disparate results depending on the pre-erosion relative density of the specimens tested. To investigate this issue, small cyclic and monotonic loading tests were performed on intact and eroded gap-graded silty sand specimens in three dispersed density states, using a triaxial cell modified for the purpose of erosion. The variation of Young's modulus showed an inverse relationship with the pre-erosion density of the specimen, as the small strain stiffness decreased in the dense cases and increased in the loose cases. Conversely, Poisson's ratio increased in value as suffusion progressed regardless of the initial density of the specimens. In the contractive phase of monotonic loading, the densification of the coarse soil skeleton by the downward seepage flow resulted in a decrease in contractiveness and an increase in secant stiffness. In the dilative phase, the increase in porosity by the erosion of finer particles reduced the dilatancy and peak strength of the specimens. The results suggest that the pre-suffusion density determines the primary locus of affected mechanical behavior in triaxial compression, which shifts from the contractive phase to the dilative phase with the increase in pre-suffusion density. The critical state strength, inferred using stress–dilatancy theory, was largely unaffected by the erosion of finer particles. As the results indicate, pre-erosion density may be of practical significance in assessing the vulnerability to deterioration and collapse of geotechnical formations and structures subjected to suffusion erosion.     

Free vibration behavior of a thermally post-buckled FG Timoshenko beam under large deflection using a tangent stiffness-based method

For thermally postbuckled configurations, the free vibration behavior of functionally graded (FG) Timoshenko beams are investigated. The postbuckling configurations are obtained through a geometrically nonlinear static problem. The free vibration problem around the postbuckled configuration is formulated using its tangent stiffness. The energy based governing equations are solved following the Ritz method. The elements of the tangent stiffness matrix are obtained using the Ritz coefficients. The results are shown to exhibit the effects of FG material, material profile parameter, and length-thickness ratio. The comparative results are presented for both the cases of the physical neutral surface and the geometrical neutral surface.     

车轮多边形磨耗统计规律及关键影响因素分析

针对列车车轮多边形磨耗问题广泛存在于轨道交通运输领域,会导致车辆/轨道系统产生高频的振动冲击,严重影响车辆和轨道系统零部件的使用寿命,危及行车安全这一问题,调查了大量车轮的多边形磨耗情况并进行统计分析,掌握了高速列车车轮多边形磨耗问题的现状和特点。以18～20阶多边形磨耗车辆为例,通过理论研究和试验分析(试验分析包括车辆系统振动特性测试和转向架模态特性测试),对车轮多边形磨耗的根本原因及诱导因素进行研究。研究发现,轮轨系统在580 Hz频率附近存在固有模态是导致车辆发生18～20阶多边形磨耗的根本原因,轮轨表面的各种不平顺能激发或者加剧轮轨系统在580 Hz频率附近的模态共振,从而诱发车轮多边形磨耗的产生。该结果可为高速列车车轮多边形磨耗问题的防止和进一步研究提供参考。     

Vertical cyclic loading response of geosynthetic-encased stone column in soft clay

Dynamic responses of the geosynthetic-encased stone column (GESC) supported embankment under traffic loads have become a hot topic. This study investigates the responses of GESC improved ground under vertical cyclic loading. A series of laboratory tests in a designed model test tank have been carried out with different loading parameters (varied loading amplitudes and frequencies), different column dimensions (varied encasement lengths and column diameters). In the tests, the soil-column stress distribution, accumulated settlement of loading plate, excess pore water pressure in the surrounding soil and lateral bulging of the stone column are monitored. Experimental results indicate that the vertical stress on the stone column increases with the increment of encasement length, and decreases with the increment of column diameter, loading amplitude and loading frequency. The increasing stress on the surrounding soil leads to a greater accumulated settlement of the loading plate and excess pore water pressure, while the increasing stress on the column leads to larger lateral bulging of the column. Excess pore water pressure dissipates effectively through vertical and horizontal drainage channels provided by the stone column and the sand bed. The geosynthetic encasement prevents the clay from obstructing the drainage channel by filtration and guarantees the drainage effect.     

Cutting parameter optimization for one-step shaft excavation technique based on parallel cutting method

The outcome of the cutting blasting in a one-step shaft excavation is heavily related to the cutting parameters used for parallel cutting method. In this study, the relationships between the cutting parameters (such as the hole spacing L and the empty hole diameter D) and damage zones were investigated by numerical simulation. A damage state index γ was introduced and used to characterize the crushing and crack damage zones through a user-defined subroutine. Two indices, i.e., η₁ and η₂ that can reflect the cutting performance, were also introduced. The simulation results indicate that an optimal value of L can be obtained so that the η₁ and η₂ can reach their optimal states for the best cutting performance. A larger D results in better cutting performance when the L value maintains its best. In addition, the influences of the loading rate and the in-situ stress on the cutting performance were investigated. It is found that an explosive with a high loading rate is suit for cutting blasting. The propagation direction and the length of the tensile cracks are affected by the direction and the magnitude of the maximum principal stress.     

LTE室分高倒流小区解决方案的研究

LTE室分高倒流直接影响室内4G用户的感知，同时较大程度拉低LTE网络驻留率指标。由于室内无线环境的封闭性，室分小区之间的覆盖独立性，仅仅通过参数调整的手段达到降低高倒流的效果非常不明显，因此本文针对目前影响室内用户感知的高倒流问题，从高倒流小区的标准出发，对室分高倒流小区的发现手段，产生原因及解决方案进行详尽地阐述，并针对各类型的高倒流情形提出解决方法，最终提供读者发现、分析及解决室分高倒流小区的有效方案，从而作为研究方法提供给LTE室内小区高倒流问题解决的指导意见     

白鹤滩水电站左岸边坡稳定性分析

为研究缓倾角错动带及断层对白鹤滩水电站左岸顺层岩质高边坡稳定性的影响,以勘I5线地质剖面为例建立力学模型,借助综合法试验模拟岩体内主要地质构造及相关工程措施。在此基础上,再利用RFPA3D有限元数值模拟方法,分析岩体内裂隙萌生、发育、扩展直至贯通的损伤演化过程。结果表明,混凝土置换洞阻碍裂缝沿软弱面扩展成效显著,开挖后工程边坡安全系数为1.62;离心加载法得到的边坡潜在滑移面与物理模型试验得到的裂缝扩展模式基本一致,层内错动带LS337、层间错动带C3-1、断层f101、裂缝J110等软弱结构面共同控制岩体的开裂与边坡失稳。研究成果可为本工程边坡开挖与支护以及类似工程提供参考。